Thought of the Day #82: The Past Can Hurt

July 5, 2016

I think one of the biggest things I’ve taken from the craziness of the last few weeks is that we don’t know as much as we think about our country. And what I might think is a clear-cut question is actually far more complicated for those that don’t live my life. None of us should have been surprised about what happened in the referendum we should have realised how divided our country was and how helpless people felt the situation was. I can’t help thinking we need to learn from this rather than saying ‘you’re wrong’ or ‘this is for the best’ or even worse ignoring their legitimate fears and concerns. We need to work out what the real issues are that are impacting on people’s lives and find a way to sort things. That’s the only way to ensure that people don’t feel so desperate, so ignored or so forgotten. Only then will we really learn from the EU ref and become a country that isn’t divided.

Whatever happens next in the crazy political side of our country or with us leaving the EU, there’s absolutely no excuse for not ensuring that people feel valued, part of this country and respected. And we’ll only achieve that by working out why people feel so strongly on this issue – what are the real concerns behind all the headlines?